Graphical User Interface, Method, Computer Program and Corresponding Storage Medium

• US 20150256501A1
• Filed: 08/28/2012
• Published: 09/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Glowbl Co.
• Original Assignee: Glowbl Co.
• Inventors: Labey, Mathieu Nicolas
• Granted Patent: US 10,382,381 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04815 Interaction with a metaphor-based environment or interaction object displayed as three-dimensional, e.g. changing the user viewpoint with respect to the environment or object
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 51/52 for supporting social networking services
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/00 Network arrangements or protocols for supporting network services or applications user-to-user messaging H04L51/00; network arrangements, protocols or services for supporting real-time applications in data packet communications networks H04L65/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

The invention provides a graphical user interface which can be used simultaneously by remote users each having at least one display screen, said graphical user interface comprising a virtual space (1) as well as a plurality of pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) respectively associated with each of said users, each pictogram being designed to appear in said virtual space (1) and disappear therefrom under the control of the user with whom it is associated, said virtual space (1) and the pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) appearing therein being designed to be displayed on the screens available to the users, the size of the virtual space (1) varying according to the number of pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) appearing in said virtual space (1). Graphical user interfaces.

Claims

1. Graphical user interface which can be used simultaneously by remote users each having at least one display screen, said graphical user interface comprising a virtual space (1) as well as a plurality of pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) respectively associated with each of said users, each pictogram being designed to appear in said virtual space (1) and disappear therefrom under the control of the user with whom it is associated, said virtual space (1) and the pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) appearing therein being designed to be displayed on the screens available to the users, the size of the virtual space (1) varying according to the number of pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) appearing in said virtual space (1).

2. Graphical user interface according to claim 1, in which each pictogram (2, 3 . . . N) appearing in said virtual space (1) is designed to be able to be moved within said virtual space (1) by the user with whom it is associated.

3. Graphical user interface according to claim 2, in which said interface is designed for each pictogram (2, 3 . . . N) to be able to be moved by drag-and-drop.

4. Graphical user interface according to claim 1, in which the size of the virtual space (1) varies progressively according to the number of pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) appearing in said virtual space (1).

5. Graphical user interface according to claim 1, in which the size of the virtual space (1) increases when the number of pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) appearing in said virtual space (1) increases, and decreases when the number of pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) appearing in said virtual space (1) decreases.

6. Graphical user interface according to claim 1, in which said interface comprises at least one graphical object (A) positioned in said virtual space (1), and in that it is designed to trigger, for the attention of each user whose associated pictogram (2, 3 . . . N) is separated from said graphical object (A) by a distance less than or equal to a predetermined value, an action affecting each of said users.

7. Graphical user interface according to claim 6, in which said action affecting each of said users comprises one or more of the elements from the

following list:

broadcasting, for the attention of said users, of an audiovisual or sound programme;

access to a computer game enabling said users to play together;

setting up of a chat channel enabling said users to chat with one another;

setting up of a communication channel enabling said users to exchange data files with one another;

setting up of a communication channel enabling said users to set up collaborative document publishing;

activation of an application enabling an exchange or an interaction or a collaboration between a number of users (two or more);

access to a purchase/sales service.

8. Graphical user interface according to claim 6, in which the size of the virtual space (1) varies also according to the number of pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) which are separated from said graphical object (A) by a distance less than or equal to said predetermined value.

9. Graphical user interface according to claim 6, in that it in which said interface is designed to generate at least one copy (A2-A12) of said graphical object (A) when the number of pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) which are separated from said graphical object A by a distance less than or equal to said predetermined value exceeds a threshold value, said copy (A2-A12) being positioned at a distance from said graphical object.

10. Graphical user interface according to claim 1, in that in which said virtual space (1) is two-dimensional.

11. Graphical user interface according to claim 10, in which said virtual space (1) is formed by at least one first individual polygonal tile (1A), the size of the virtual space (1) being designed to increase by the generation of at least one second individual polygonal tile (1B-1Z) adjacent to said first individual polygonal tile (1A).

12. Graphical user interface according to claim 11, in which said second individual polygonal tile (1B) has at least one side (10B) and/or one vertex (11B, 12B) in common with said first individual polygonal tile (1A).

13. Graphical user interface according to claim 11, in which said at least one second individual polygonal tile (1B-1Z) is generated progressively according to the number of pictograms appearing in said first individual polygonal tile.

14. Graphical user interface according to claim 1, in that in which each of said pictograms constitutes a graphical avatar representing the user with whom it is associated.

15. Method for administering a graphical user interface which can be used simultaneously by remote users each having at least one display screen, said graphical interface comprising a virtual space (1) as well as a plurality of pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) respectively associated with each of said users, each pictogram (2, 3 . . . N) being designed to appear in said virtual space (1) and disappear therefrom under the control of the user with whom it is associated, said virtual space and the pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) appearing therein being designed to be displayed on the screens available to the users, said method comprising a step for adjusting the size of the virtual space (1) in which said size is varied according to the number of pictograms (2, 3 . . . N) appearing in said virtual space (1).

16. Computer program comprising a computer program code means suitable for executing the steps of a method in accordance with claim 15 when said program is run on a computer.

17. Computer program according to claim 16 implemented on a computer-readable medium.

18. Medium that can be read by a computer and on which is stored a program in accordance with claim 16.